CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — The 10-seater plane cruised over islets and light blue waters that exposed luminous coral reefs as it headed to our final destination: the U.S. Virgin Islands.

But I knew I was really on that idyllic Caribbean getaway when a friend and I later found ourselves lounging on an almost empty beach ringed by emerald green mountains and staring out at a placid, clear blue bay sipping strawberry daiquiris.

Yep, the life. I had chosen the three-island U.S. territory to celebrate my 32nd birthday. I live in neighboring Puerto Rico and wanted a quick, but peaceful jaunt without the fuss of reading maps, organizing tours and visas - which is exactly what I got. It's also hassle-free for those visiting from the continental U.S., as no passport is needed. (As of Jan. 23, Americans do need a passport to re-enter the U.S. from Caribbean islands other than Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.)

We stayed at the Galleon House, a guesthouse in Charlotte Amalie, the capitol of St. Thomas.

Our room had a balcony overlooking the tiny streets of the former Danish colony, which are lined with many European colonial-era brick and wood buildings. On the hillside, we could see the governor's residence, a "white house" lit up at night.

The guesthouse was basic but charming. It has a lovely turquoise-colored deck overlooking the hillside, and lush grounds maintained by the friendly groundskeeper, Cornelius Douglas. There was also a big breakfast - but I always missed it because I prefer sleeping in on vacation.

On our first day, we strolled through the downtown, which is a short walk from the guesthouse. There are many duty-free shops selling mostly jewelry that cater to cruise passengers, and a few street hawkers who will try to lure you into their shops - which can be annoying. (Our strategy: ignore them).

Mixed in between are some cool local establishments, such as Beans, Bytes & Websites, which offered coffee from around the Caribbean and snacks, had about a dozen computers with Internet access and carried local newspapers. It was set in a brick building that provided a nice escape from the island sun.

I also took a walk through the residential areas past a monument of the "Fire Burn Queens" -three women who fought for better rights for African workers in the late 1800s, the 17th century Fort Christian and many tropical homes snuggled amid the trees. Blackbeard's Castle, a U.S. National Historic Landmark, was on my route as well. This watchtower dates to 1679, and local lore says the notorious pirate Edward Teach - also known as Blackbeard - used it as a lookout.

But we did not spend a lot of time in town. Our mission: the beach. We took a taxi (a truck mounted with benches) through the extremely hilly island, passing homes sitting on the edge of cliffs, and shuttling through the mangroves to Magens Bay - the strawberry daiquiri locale.

Slideshow: Caribbean way of life
We rented chairs from a shop that also offered snorkeling gear, and set up near some palm trees. We lazed away the afternoon watching clouds breeze overhead. I dipped my head in the cool waters and paddled around. The only moment that broke the bliss was when a baby nurse shark was spotted just a few feet off shore.

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People came running from both ends of the beach. Rather than fear the shark, I worried for the small creature who seemed dazed and confused. It eventually slinked off.

That night we tried some local cuisine. Even though we live in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, with its West Indian culture, couldn't be more different from its Spanish-speaking Latino neighbor.

We stopped in at a well-known locale, Cuzzin's, for some grub. I had curried conch (tasty), but the real show stopper was the yummy rum cake, which was pretty alcoholic - if we had put a match to it, it would have caught on fire!

Next stop was Frenchtown, which you can walk to (though it is long) from downtown. The "Frenchies," as they are called, are descendants of Huguenots who left St. Barts in the 1800s. I thought it would be great if we could speak French here, but it turned out no one we met did.

Frenchtown was lined with houses that appeared to have the same design but were painted in different colors: pink, sea green. We went to Betsy's Bar where one of the highlights appeared to be a Frenchie who had nabbed a land crab and given a beer can to the poor creature, which it crushed. The atmosphere was certainly one of a small town.

The next day we trotted down to Charlotte Amalie's port to catch a ferry to St. John - an island that's part of the U.S. territory and is home to a more than 7,000-acre national park that includes coral reefs and mangroves.

We walked through the forest on a well-marked path, passing by several beaches (Honeymoon Beach, Solomon Beach and Caneel Bay). The hike was great - the foliage was abundant and little critters slithered by - but be sure to bring your own drinking water and wear sturdy hiking shoes. Though it was only 30 minutes to the first beach, it can get hot under the canopy and the ground may be slick from recent rains.

We settled on a beach that was less crowded than the others (that said, "crowded" was about 15 people). There were no food stands or rental places here, so you had to bring what you needed - but that made it even more peaceful.

Our stroll through downtown St. John showed us another slice of small-town Caribbean life: Posters for political office had a somewhat Norman Rockwell-feel to them (some read "The Future Is Now" and "Together We Can" accompanied by politicians sporting big grins). In St. John, a stop sign read: "Thou Shalt Stop" and for parking: "Thou Shalt Not Park Here." There were also a few open-air food stands where locals gathered to hang out, and at one, play music.

The ferry ride back to St. Thomas as the sun set provided more breathtaking views of the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. For my birthday dinner, we settled on Herve, a restaurant specializing in French and American cuisine located next door to Galleon House.

With ceiling-to-floor windows overlooking the hills of St. Thomas, the atmosphere was sublime. And the food ... a meeting with the divine. We tucked away Kir Royals, stuffed mushrooms, a vine-ripened tomato salad, a seafood bouillabaise (cooked with saffron) and the aptly named berries and chocolate nirvana (chocolate cups filled with berries and a touch of Chambord, raspberry liqueur).

For our last day, we chose the stunning Sapphire Beach on St. Thomas' east end. Set in a resort open to the public, it was the best: not crowded, lounge chairs, snorkel gear for hire. In the distance, we could see the British Virgin Islands and other U.S. islets dotting the horizon one after the other - a display of majestic green jutting out of the water.

I went snorkeling and saw two stingrays cruising through the coral - such a lovely sight. Sadly, much of the coral was dying - its beautiful colors gone - suffering from a mystery disease affecting coral worldwide that scientists are studying.

It was a great break from Puerto Rico and an easy getaway that may be especially appealing to Americans who don't have passports. And yet, while these islands are part of the United States, they have a lot to offer that's different from home.